Some gas station owners are falling victim to a sophisticated scam.

Detroit man steals 800 gallons using Bluetooth to hack gas pumps at station::undefined

    • Erasmus@lemmy.worldEnglish
      80·
      1 year ago

      Not sure about this specific pump but this same thing happened in my town several months back and BT was used then too.

      When it happened we found out that the pumps at the station in particular (and probably most) have a BT receiver tied to whatever little processor that runs the pump so either a station manager or someone servicing the pumps can access them with the right equipment, make internal adjustments etc.

      In the case that happened locally to us. Someone hacked them the same way, then posted to Facebook and other social media sites to come get some free gas, etc.

      • abhibeckert@lemmy.worldEnglish
        14·
        1 year ago

        All the pumps I’ve seen have a physical key protecting them too. They’re supposed to unlock it in the morning and lock it when staff leave for the night. I’d guess these stations didn’t do that?

        • Cethin@lemmy.zipEnglish
          24·
          1 year ago

          From everything I know about locks in important places, all pumps probably use the same key. You can probably buy that key online. I know this is true for elevators and those boxes for entering buildings, and Crown Vic police cars (and the taxis they’ve become after being sold), and many other things.

        • Erasmus@lemmy.worldEnglish
          4·
          1 year ago

          I don’t know about that part. Just that it was all over the news when it happened here and I later read about the details as to how they did it.

          I would have assumed the makers of the pumps would had put into them a little tighter security but then again look at some of these password and other web hacks we routinely see.

          • WHYAREWEALLCAPS@lemmy.worldEnglish
            2·
            1 year ago

            There’s a convergence of issues. First, and probably foremost, users are idiots. So it has to be able to be operated by a 5 year with a learning disability. Second, implementing security costs money up front. It is cheaper to let the customer deal with the fall out, then do damage control on the cheap, and keep going. Third, users can’t be assed to access things that a 5 year old with learning and physical disabilities and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in one hand can’t access. These are all typical issues stuff is engineered towards. This is why you see this same basic issue crop up over and over again.

          • ipkpjersi@lemmy.mlEnglish
            1·
            1 year ago

            You’d be surprised how many times “good enough” is considered “good enough” when it comes to IT and security, even when it’s really the bare minimum.

    • Fungah@lemmy.worldEnglish
      1·
      1 year ago

      Yeah okay.

      My hardware knowledge is limited to ruining many sets of alligator chips trying to dump a virus from an infected UEFI/rewrite the chip so that I’d have a usable motherboard and a nasty virus to poke and prod at.

      I guess I’ve always managed to set an esxi server to route internet traffic through a PC so my IPS can get at it and drop the bad stuff. Still trying to figure out the SIEM piece.

      And smart lights / plugs. Many, many many of those.

      I’ve got a decade of experience as an AE in a very techy field though.

      If it’s a choice between me and a homeless guy then I’m definitely the guy.

  • nostradiel@lemmy.worldEnglish
    48·
    1 year ago

    4$ per gallon that’s approximately 1$ per litre.

    I hope it will at least double for you so you know what it’s like to pay for petrol in Europe…

    • 5BC2E7@lemmy.worldEnglish
      25·
      1 year ago

      In that case I hope your health care is reformed to imitate what we have here.

    • namelessdread@lemmy.worldEnglish
      21·
      1 year ago

      I get what you’re saying, but I’m not sure you realize just how much that would hurt people. Europe is much more densely concentrated and has far better public transit options. Many parts of the US are extremely rural. My nearest grocery store is a 30 minute drive away. There are no stores in walking distance at all. There are no sidewalks. There are no busses, trains, or cabs in my area, and that is not wildly uncommon.

      If costs of gas doubled, at least without viable alternatives, it would absolutely bankrupt people. And it would disproportionately impact poor people in rural areas where it’s very common to commute to work 30-60 minutes of driving is a common commute. While it varies by state, US federal minimum wage in the US is $7.25/hour. Many people commute for work, and an hour drive one way is also not uncommon.

      Let’s take 7.25 an hour x 40 hours = $290 before taxes.

      We’ll keep it simple and say a person uses only 1 gallon of gas per day to get to and from work which, at $8 a gallon x 5 days a week = $40. Just that travel to and from work and no other travel at all (or maintenance on the vehicle) would be 14% of pre-tax income.

      So many things need to change so I understand the perspective, but I think it’s really important to consider the widespread impact. Obviously the US has a lot of issues contributing to this situation.

      • daemoz@lemmy.worldEnglish
        7·
        1 year ago

        I agree but will counter, maybe people should be prioritizing buying motorcycles and heated jackets over trucks and suvs that make up 80% of new sales. I think gas price should be based off mpg MORE than now. If you get 15 mpg than you pay 15 per gallon. Get 30mpg you pay 7 per gallon. Only exceptions are for vehicles used for operational work, not commuting.

        • namelessdread@lemmy.worldEnglish
          9·
          1 year ago

          That’s a fair counter, and I definitely agree there are many things that could be changed to improve the situation.I also think the US needs to move away from large vehicles, and it’s a huge problem that so many people are purchasing vehicles that get poor mileage and are ultimately bad for the environment.

          I would argue though that there are some issues with the motorcycle suggestion. First, in many areas of the country it’s only feasible to ride a motorcycle about half the year due to weather. In the New England area, it’s only feasible in the summer. Otherwise, the snow and ice make it far too dangerous. Plus, if you have a family/children, then you also need some kind of car, so now you have to buy, register, inspect, and maintain two vehicles. There are also costs for getting a motorcycle endorsement on your license and an additional fee each time you renew your license to maintain that motorcycle endorsement on your license.

          The problem with the “pay per mpg” would be older cars. I used to drive a very old car with very bad gas mileage. I also lived in that car. There’s risk of disproportionately impacting people with low income. Of course, that could be countered based off the the year of the car, or income, or some other thing – but I’m sure there would be loopholes and other issues there.

          Anyways, really interesting topic to consider. Thanks for the respectful discourse!

          • daemoz@lemmy.worldEnglish
            2·
            1 year ago

            Good reply, id fully support the exception for those living in vehicles and having the cost decay over time like registration does.

            As for the cold, thats only a part of the country for a part of the year. I can buy 2 reliable cars and a motorcycle for the cost of 1 new luxury truck. People want new big and flashy to feel self important, ita sad. But I guess that acceptance of debt is what keeps America going now idk.

        • CADmonkey@lemmy.worldEnglish
          8·
          1 year ago

          maybe people should be prioritizing buying motorcycles and heated jackets

          Tell me you’ve never been to the US without telling me.

          I’m an avid motorcycle rider. I’ve been riding for over 20 years. I’ve ridden in all sorts of weather. I once had to lie in a muddy ditch next to my harley while the tornado went by. More than once I’ve ridden 30 miles (48.6 kilometers for those who can’t multiply by 1.62) in the snow.

          The issue is, snow, ice, and tornadoes aren’t good for most people on a motorcycle. I’m one of the few completely crazy people who does ride in all weather. But the US is a place with some pretty crazy weather, and many parts of the country str too cold or too icy to ride in for half the year. So even if we collectively bought a Grom and a nice riding suit with a heated vest, most people couldn’t ride it for a big chunk of the year.

          A much better suggestion, until we can get some sort of public transport, is small cars, but every time someone makes a small economy car in the US, most people act like it’s an affront to their very testicles and they spend a weirdly large chunk of their time complaining about said cars, even if they dont own one. For examples, see opinions on: Toyota Prius, Chevy Spark, Mitsubishi Mirage.

          • daemoz@lemmy.worldEnglish
            2·
            1 year ago

            I mean that was exactly my point. I lived in denver and ny and I dont ride under 35 degrees F unless its only 5 min. Going careless wasnt my real reccomendation, but its a huge answer for a huge swath of population. I live in socal now and its trucks and suvs as far as the eye can see. And If even this crowd is going to downvote me, then its even more dire than I realized. People are crazy car centric, and its irresponsible way to live

      • jcit878@lemmy.worldEnglish
        2·
        1 year ago

        petrol is about 1.5x the price in Australia compared to America with similar geographies to deal with

    • KredeSeraf@lemmy.worldEnglish
      3·
      1 year ago

      I hope your country multiples in size to match the US and you can see what it’s like to have to drive long distances.

      • prole@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
        12·
        1 year ago

        They do, it’s called the European Union and they have publicly-funded means of transportation through it. They can freely move through the borders of any nation in the Schengen Zone without need of a passport. You can travel through most of Europe by many different means besides automobiles.

        Our country is just too stubborn and individualistic to ever elect politicians that would see through the time and money required for the types of projects needed to make the US no longer reliant on cars and trucks. On top of that, it could take decades. Say if we ever did, it would just get shut down when the next conservative blow hard convinces enough people that it isn’t worth it.

        Long term projects like that just aren’t in the cards for the US any more.

        • KredeSeraf@lemmy.worldEnglish
          2·
          1 year ago

          Yeah, no shit. Not surprised no one here grasps concepts that aren’t spelled out in blinking neon but my comment wasn’t glorifying American waste. It was mocking their self-centered and needlessly dickish bs. But go off.

      • nostradiel@lemmy.worldEnglish
        5·
        1 year ago

        You have 3x higher average yearly salary than in the czech republic while having 2x lower price of gas/petrol. And we are considered developed country… You have nothing to complain about. Get yourself 1.2 litre hatchback like I have…

        I would ban every engine above 2l in citizen commute cars cause there is no need for more power.

    • Kentronix@lemmy.worldEnglish
      21·
      1 year ago

      Yes, considering the oil company doesn’t own the gas station and still gets paid for the fuel. The person you’re stealing from is the owner of the gas station who purchases the fuel and then in many areas sells fuel with very low margin in hopes of you coming into the store for snacks and drinks to make money on higher margin products. So even if they are selling a large amount of fuel, they aren’t making a lot of profit to make up for the theft.

    • angstylittlecatboy@reddthat.comEnglish
      7·
      1 year ago

      I mean, that already is used to significantly lower at-the-pump gas prices from what they actually are, and raising gas prices is an easy way to lose an election in America, so that probably won’t change. Notice that in many other countries gas prices are way higher than in the US.

  • Eezyville@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    32·
    1 year ago

    Wait so they haven’t caught them yet? The article gave no names. And why do these pumps have Bluetooth? You might as well put in a USB service port.

  • Lutra@lemmy.worldEnglish
    31·
    1 year ago

    This exemplifies Fox - they provided a lengthy article, and a 3 person video with interviews, and yet the listener/reader knows no more about what actually happened than before they began. Its well produced hearsay.

  • beaubbe@lemmy.worldEnglish
    24·
    1 year ago

    Some places let you pump THEN pay inside. You could just fill and leave. Is that not basically the same thing? Thay can catch them the same way.

    • Selmafudd@lemmy.worldEnglish
      29·
      1 year ago

      This is every petrol station in Australia, don’t think I’ve every seen anybody do a runner, not like it’s hard to catch up

      • ShittyBeatlesFCPres@lemmy.worldEnglish
        21·
        1 year ago

        It’s how it used to work in most of the US. Every once in awhile, you’d be in a rough area and have to pay ahead of time but it was rare. When they switched to credit/debit cards, it generally became “Pay inside if you can’t use a card.”

        It wasn’t much of a problem even when crime peaked in the U.S. (late 80’s and 90’s) and you could theoretically get away with it. Gas stations have always had security cameras.

        • abhibeckert@lemmy.worldEnglish
          11·
          1 year ago

          Australian pumps all have the capability to pay at the pump.

          It’s almost always restricted to fleet buyers (taxis, delivery vans, etc). If you’re a regular consumer they force you walk past a tasty array of chocolates and other addictive high margin products before you’re allowed to pay. They even give you a a couple bucks off your gas if you spend ten bucks on chocolate.

    • sndrtj@feddit.nlEnglish
      11·
      1 year ago

      This is very much the default in the Netherlands. Yes theft happens, but your license plate will be clearly visibly on CCTV meaning you will get a visit by police soon after.

    • x4740N@lemmy.worldEnglish
      1·
      1 year ago

      Not if its a stolen car, car without plates in some area they aren’t likely to be caught or one of those cars that has that thing that can change numberplates

      The car with the changeable numberplate would be harder to catch if it was a super common car in the area as well

      • jcit878@lemmy.worldEnglish
        1·
        1 year ago

        all those things are risky as fuck with police AI number plate recognition these days. it would take no time at all to track someone down over $50 theft

        • jarfil@lemmy.worldEnglish
          2·
          1 year ago

          $50 for the gas theft… how much for the tampering with government mandated ID, or whatever they’d call swapping plates?

  • therealrjp@lemm.eeEnglish
    22·
    1 year ago

    The grammar in this article is horrendous. It’s almost as if Fox isn’t a reputable source for news!

  • mulcahey@lemmy.worldEnglish
    21·
    1 year ago

    This article has so few details. How do we think they’re pulling this off? Phones? A Flipper maybe? And then what?

    • TK420@lemmy.worldEnglish
      49·
      1 year ago

      Because people think security and privacy are a joke, and it’s times like this where it shows.

    • edric@lemm.eeEnglish
      29·
      1 year ago

      Hardware security is still overlooked a lot in the tech industry, hence there are a ton of hardware and mechanical stuff out there that are made “smarter” but still barely have any security controls. That’s why there’s the saying “The S in IoT stands for security”. Bluetooth in itself is not secure, and they probably have a very basic control where the pump is unlocked remotely via a bluetooth device.

      • peopleproblems@lemmy.worldEnglish
        8·
        1 year ago

        I very distinctly remember early bluetooth amongst other interfaces explicitly discussed in college as an example of “enabling things to understand eachother, including things that shouldn’t.” It’s up to the developer to protect their data.

        There is a problem here that isn’t just a hardware/software issue, it’s a “I’m not gonna worry about it” problem that leads to security issues.